After three years of planning, eclectic local business owner Charles Holboke has opened his steakhouse.
Charlie’s Chop House recently opened in the former Hazel’s Tavern on Marine Drive next to Holboke’s Tiki Bar and Charlie’s Chowder House. He now runs four businesses in Astoria, including Godfather’s Books & Espresso on the corner of Commercial and 11th streets.
Holboke said his chophouse is inspired by old-school Portland steakhouses like Sayler’s Old Country Kitchen and RingSide Steakhouse. He handed much of the creative control of the chophouse over to his new chef, Chris Dunn.
“Charlie’s idea basically came from kind of the old-school steakhouses that he used to go to when he was a bit younger,” Dunn said. “Those kind of got lost along the way with all the fancy food and all the fancy chefs coming out and trying to do too much. I think we just wanted to do something pretty basic, but really good.”
Dunn, who came to the chophouse from Merry Time Bar and Grill, said he started cooking at age 17, starting in a hyperlocal, small-town bistro in Minnesota, working his way up from the dish pit to sous chef while learning from the restaurant’s executive chef.
After moving to Portland, he worked at several venerated Portland eateries, including the Shanghai Tunnel Bar, University Club of Portland, Tasty n Alder, The Country Cat Dinner House and Bar and The Oregon Golf Club before coming to Astoria. He connected with Holboke through employees at the Chowder House.
The chophouse features an all-wood, red-and-black interior Dunn described as “blue-collar nice,” upscale, but not quite fine dining. Along the back wall is a full bar, a holdover from Hazel’s, with 1950s-inspired drinks all named after trees.
The chophouse sources its cuts from Painted Hills Natural Beef, including top sirloins cut block style, bone-in and boneless rib eyes, New York strips, filet mignon and chopped sirloins. The steaks are flame-grilled or broiled, basted in brown butter, garlic and rosemary and rested.
“It’s such a simple technique, but nobody really does it,” Dunn said.
Sides come a la carte. For those not wanting to commit to a steak, Dunn said, the chophouse offers an 8-ounce sirloin steak burger, pork chops, chicken, seafood, sandwiches and salads. The chophouse sources its bread from Sea Level Bakery in Cannon Beach. Meals come with house-made buttermilk mini-biscuits sweated down with jalapeño and sweet onion, along with pickled vegetables.
“It’s an opportunity to really showcase what I can do, and it’s a really exciting opportunity to see it grow,” Dunn said. “The most exciting thing is making people happy with the food, and the environment and the experience.”
Charlie’s Chop House, at 1313 Marine Drive, is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.